Willard Scott Officially Retires — See the Classy ‘Today’ Tribute

Scott, 81, is the picture of stability: he spent 65 years with NBC, 35 of those on Today. In fact, Matt Lauer called him "the heart and soul of the Today show."

Former Today anchor Katie Couric spoke glowingly of Scott's willingness to push limits in the best way, saying, "With Willard, there are no boundaries — and that's usually a good thing,"

Scott's departure is such a big deal that the program devoted an entire 11-minute segment to him on Tuesday.

Scott, who also created the Ronald McDonald character and was the first person to portray the iconic pitchman, developed a reputation for being bubbly and wishing viewers happy birthdays as they hit 100 years old. He also didn't shy away from dressing up in costume as Carmen Miranda and Boy George.

NBC decided to honor Scott with a campaign on Twitter, with the hashtag #ThankYouWillard.